“The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is our flagship campus and home to our important research enterprises, which will continue to grow in the coming years,” said UH Board of Regents Chairman Eric Martinson. “An institution with such a critical role to play in Hawaiʻi’s economy must have its own leader dedicated to charting progress for the school itself while contributing to the overall strength of the entire system. We are confident Dr. Apple will be that leader.”

UH President M.R.C. Greenwood recommended the appointment of Apple to the Board of Regents following an extensive search process.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome a distinguished scientist, academician and administrator in Tom Apple,” Greenwood said. “He will bring to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa an impeccable reputation as a researcher and a strong track record as a recruiter of top-tier faculty. As we continue our strategic efforts and launch new initiatives to increase UH’s stature and recognition nationally and internationally, Chancellor-to-be Apple will be a visionary and proven, forward-thinking leader for the flagship campus of the UH System.”

Distinguished scientist and academic leader

A University of Delaware alumnus, Apple has served in various capacities at the university since 2005. He was named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in July 2005, and was named provost in July 2009.

“The University of Delaware is indebted to Tom for seven years of remarkable service—first as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and then as provost,” said University of Delaware President Patrick Harker. “The number and caliber of faculty we’ve hired during Tom’s tenure, the academic programs we’ve added and strengthened, the incredibly talented students we’ve enrolled—all of it is a testament not only to Tom’s dedication but also to his fundamental belief in the transformative power of higher education. He understands how UD transforms the lives of its students, and how the work we do here transforms our world. I wish him the best as he takes that vision to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.”

Apple’s research in zeolite materials and polymeric materials has been funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, as well as support from the National Institutes of Health and others, and he is the author or coauthor of numerous articles in professional journals.

Apple earned his doctorate in physical chemistry at the University of Delaware in 1982, after completing his bachelor’s degree in biology at Pennsylvania State University in 1976. He was a postdoctoral research fellow at Iowa State University from 1981–83.

Mānoa chancellor search process

Apple’s selection comes after an extensive search process that involved a search advisory committee co-chaired by Klaus Keil of the Hawaiʻi Institute of Geophysics and Planetology at UH Mānoa and Regent Emeritus and Servco Pacific Chief Executive Officer Mark Fukunaga. The committee consisted of up to two dozen representatives from faculty, students, deans, administrative staff, alumni, the Hawaiian community and leaders from the broader statewide community.

Executive search firm Isaacson, Miller helped recruit, screen and consider over 400 potential candidates from across the nation and the search advisory committee interviewed and narrowed that field. On-site invitations to visit the UH Mānoa campus were issued to four finalists, and each completed a full two-day agenda in Honolulu, meeting with key university constituencies and the general public.

Current UH Mānoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw announced in August 2011 that, upon conclusion of her five-year appointment in June 2012, she will complete her service as chancellor of the Mānoa. Hinshaw was named chancellor after a nationwide search and assumed the position in 2007. She was recognized by the Board of Regents at its May meeting for her service to the university.